A/N: I'm sorry this update took so long. I promise I haven't forgotten about this story.
~You can't get up 'cause you've been down and you are reeling.
You catch your breath by counting cracks upon the ceiling.~
Gail looked around as she exited the terminal. So this is sunny California, she thought. She made her way to baggage claim and waited for her suitcase. Soft, warm hands covered her eyes and made her smile.
"I told you I'd get a cab," Gail said, still smiling.
"I know," Holly giggled as she spun Gail around to face her, wrapping her arms around Gail's waist. "But there was no way I was gonna miss out on picking you up, so I maybe lied to my boss and told him I was sick."
Gail touched the back of her hand to Holly's forehead. A look of faux-concern crossed her face.
"You're burning up! We need to get you home and in bed immediately!" Gail joked with a waggle of her eyebrows.
"You are so cheesy," Holly teased, cupping Gail's face tenderly between her hands.
"You like it," Gail countered as she leaned in for a kiss.
Holly's lips met her half way. Her lips were softer than Gail remembered. Their lips moved together slowly, getting reacquainted with one another. It wasn't long however, before the kiss grew more intense. Both women attempted to pour all of their pent up emotions into this kiss. Holly quickly remembered their very public location and pulled back slightly.
"We should probably get out of here," she whispered against Gail's lips.
"You're just full of good ideas."
Gail gave her a quick peck and threw her bag over her shoulder. She grabbed Holly's hand as they began walking toward the parking garage.
"Didn't you have another bag?" Holly asked.
"Shit!" Gail exclaimed as she dropped Holly's hand and ran back towards the luggage belt. She scanned the area for her bag and groaned in frustration when she did not immediately see it. At last she saw it appear around the bend. She roughly pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the complaints of the people she passed, and ripped her bag off the belt. She jogged back to the door where Holly was waiting.
"Ready," she said, smiling brightly.
"Come on, you," Holly teased, flashing her lopsided smile at Gail.
It had been a week since Gail had stopped coming by Holly's office. Either Detective Anderson or an unfamiliar uniformed officer would stop by to pick up reports or drop off the occasional piece of new evidence. Holly knew Gail was officially avoiding her.
She finished typing up her report and gathered her belongings. Holly flipped the light switch off before closing her door and locking it behind her. As she approached the door to the car garage, her phone rang out loudly, startling her. She managed to hold onto her empty coffee mug, though it certainly made an attempt at escape. Digging her phone out of her purse, Holly sighed at the name on her screen.
"I'm fine," she answered.
"Well hello to you too," Rachel's voice came through the speaker.
"Sorry, Rach, it's just been a long day. And Lisa called me at lunch and I've just had enough of her lately."
"Oh god, what'd she do this time?"
"Nothing in particular, she's just Lisa. Like she can't wrap her head around why I'm so upset and can't just get over it. She keeps bugging me to go out. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone new," Holly said, parroting her friend.
"Have you eaten today, Hols?"
"Yes"
"Like an actual meal or what? Because a small snack does not count."
"Then no."
"You need to eat."
"I'm just not hungry."
"I know. I know you're hurting, but you still have to take care of yourself."
"I know. I am."
"… Do you wanna come out with us this weekend?"
"No, I think I'm gonna stay in, get some things done around the house."
"You mean you're gonna drink alone and eat way too much Chinese food while binge watching TV?"
"Well, technically those are things and I'd be doing them around my house." Holly retorted.
"You really should think about coming with us. I think it'd be good for you to get out."
"I'll think on it."
"Take care of yourself, Hols"
"Good night, Rach."
Gail shoveled another bite of pasta into her mouth. Surprisingly, or maybe it wasn't so surprising, Holly loved watching Gail eat. She was by no means graceful, but Gail loved food. And Holly loved Gail.
"Are you even chewing your food? Or just inhaling it?" Holly chuckled as Gail forced yet another forkful into her mouth. Gail grinned through her mouthful and swallowed the bite of food.
"This place is delicious," Gail said. Twirling her fork in the noodles to prepare another bite. "God, I could live here."
"Oh yeah?" Holly teased. "What makes you think I want you to live with me?"
"What makes you think I was talking about you? I'm gonna live in this restaurant."
Holly laughed at her girlfriend sitting across from her and took a bite of her own meal. This was one of her favorite places in San Francisco and she was glad Gail enjoyed it so much. She looked at Gail and smiled. She wanted to share everything she enjoyed with Gail.
They finished the rest of their meal in peace. Holly paid the bill and stood up from the table, holding out her hand for Gail. Gail took her hand and laced their fingers together. They walked in silence back to Holly's apartment building. Once the elevator doors shut behind them, Gail pined Holly against the wall and kissed her hard. Holly wrapped her arms around Gail's waist and pulled her closer. In the back of Holly's mind, she thanked the universe that she lived on the 17th floor. She never wanted the elevator ride to end. What felt like mere seconds later, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Gail tugged on Holly's hand to lead her out of the elevator. Holly pouted and remained where she stood.
"What's wrong?" Gail asked.
"You stopped kissing me," Holly whined.
Gail chuckled.
"I had to so we can walk to your apartment." Gail pulled Holly out of the elevator and flush against her. Holly's face lit up and Gail laughed loudly and smiled. She hugged Holly just a little tighter.
"Did you forget you have a bedroom?" Gail asked, still smiling.
Holly blushed and hid her face in Gail's neck. She nodded timidly.
"Come on," Gail said sweetly. "Let's go get naked and make out on your couch."
Holly pulled back and smacked her arm lightly.
"You're so crude," Holly chuckled, but grabbed Gail's hand and pulled her towards the couch.
"So you do like my idea." Gail waggled her eyebrows.
Holly plopped down on the couch, yanking Gail down on top of her.
"Shut up," she said with a grin as she pulled Gail's face in for a heated kiss.
Holly jumped at the quiet knock on her office door, spilling a bit of tea on her white lab coat. Shit, she thought, I just fucking washed this. She dabbed at the liquid with a napkin as she turned towards her open door.
"Oh, Traci, hi," Holly stuttered. She wasn't expecting anyone today, let alone Traci Nash. She stumbled as she stood from her chair. Running her hands over her coat to smooth it out, Holly met Traci halfway and held out a hand in greeting. Traci moved past the proffered hand and enveloped Holly in a tight hug. Briefly, Holly let herself melt into the warmth and human contact, but quickly pulled back from the embrace and took a step away.
"Is everything all right?" She asked. She knew Traci wasn't one of the detectives on the open case, so something had to be wrong.
"Yeah, just popping in to say hello and see how you're doing," Traci began, "I haven't seen you since before you left."
Holly self-consciously rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah… I just didn't feel right about coming down to the station to say hi to everyone."
"You can always come down to say hello,' Traci said quietly.
"You're very sweet, Traci, but we both know I can't." Holly's smile was small and thin.
Traci looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers. She knew Holly was right.
"So… how are you doing?" Traci asked.
"Uh, I'm, um, I'm good," Holly said, her shaky voice giving her away immediately.
"Gotcha," Traci said, moving to lean against Holly's desk. "And do you want to remember that I'm a detective and you're a terrible liar, and tell me how you actually are?"
Holly smiled weakly. She moved over to her chair and sat down. Putting her elbows on her knees, Holly put her head in her hands and sighed.
"I fucked up," she said softly.
"What do you mean?" Traci asked.
Holly looked up abruptly, but Traci's face was genuinely ignorant. She knew she shouldn't be surprised that Gail hadn't told anyone about their tryst, but she figured Gail would have at least divulged some of the details to Traci.
"Um," she began, still unsure how much to actually tell Traci. "I just, I-I made a mistake and now Gail won't even talk to me."
"Ah, well… unfortunately we both know how Gail can be when she's upset."
Holly let out a curt laugh and nodded her head. "I think she's a little more than upset with me."
"Well give her some time. You know she'll come back when she's ready to talk," Traci soothed.
"I doubt that, but I appreciate your optimism."
"What happened? Surely it can't be as bad as you think it is."
"I can't tell you, not if Gail hasn't already told you. It's not my place," Holly said. She peered up at the detective sitting across from her.
Traci nodded in understanding. She wondered if it had anything to do with that night at the Penny after everyone else had left.
"Well, I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, truly. But you know you're still my friend, right? And as far as I'm concerned, you're welcome at 15 Division any time," Traci offered.
"Thank you," Holly replied with a small smile. "I appreciate that."
"Well." Traci gently slapped the desk she was leaning against. "I've got a murder to solve. But it was really good to see you. If you ever need anything, you've got my number."
Holly stood up to walk her guest out. Traci closed the gap between them and wrapped Holly in another tight hug. This time Holly hugged back.
"I'll see you later, Holly." Traci flashed a small, soft smile before she walked out the door and down the hall.
"Bye," Holly whispered, but Traci was already gone.
She sat down at her desk again and held her head in her hands. She fought the tears for a minute, but eventually they broke free.
The morning light peeked through the curtains in Holly's bedroom. She hummed as she stretched and turned over. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she let her vision focus on the woman sleeping next to her. Looking at her, Holly thought about how genuinely beautiful she found Gail. Gail was dead asleep. Her hair was a mess, with a strand across her face. There was a small puddle of drool forming on her pillow. Gail snored loudly and Holly smiled. Oh how she loved this woman.
Holly tenderly pushed the strand of hair behind Gail's ear. She let her hand trail down Gail's cheek. The movement caused Gail to subconsciously swat at the fingers that tickled her skin, but she did not wake. Holly gently pressed her lips to Gail's forehead before slipping out of the bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping girlfriend.
The smell of bacon in the air pulled Gail from her slumber. She stretched with a groan, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and wiped the drool from her chin. She threw the covers off in one swift motion and laid there, letting the cool breeze from the ceiling fan waft over her naked body. The air felt nice as it hit her skin. Her stomach grumbled as the smell of bacon became overpowering. Gail sat up and flung her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up and stretched again before walking toward the bedroom door. She grabbed the robe that was hanging on a hook on the back of the door and wrapped it around herself. The silky fabric felt smooth and soft against her bare skin. As she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, the smell of bacon hit her full force. Her stomach roared once more.
Rounding the corner, Gail saw Holly working diligently at the kitchen counter with her back to her. Gail could hear music playing from Holly's phone on the counter next to her. She watched Holly sway slightly in time with the song.
Gail quietly approached her from behind. She snaked her arms around Holly's waist and squeezed gently, pulling Holly back into her body. Holly giggled, put down the spatula she was holding, and spun around in Gail's arms so she could face her.
"Good morning, sleepy head!" Holly teased as she leaned in for a gentle kiss.
"What time is it?"
"9 am."
"Well, considering we didn't actually fall asleep until after 3, I'd say only getting 6 hours of sleep excludes me from sleepy head qualification." Gail stated.
"Whatever you say," Holly placated gently and sealed it with another tender kiss. The kiss slowly deepened, and soon hands were wandering. Gail's hand smoothly slid up Holly's loose fitting t-shirt. Holly quietly moaned into Gail's mouth. With a wave of confidence flowing over her, Gail moved to better facilitate the removal of Holly's shirt all together. Her plan was quickly thwarted however, when Holly abruptly pulled back from the kiss and exclaimed, "Oh shit!"
Confused, Gail dropped her hands and her eyes followed Holly's frantic movements. In one fluid motion, Holly removed the pan containing a smoking and violently sizzling pancake from the stove and flipped the burner off. She threw the pan in the sink and ran some water over it, causing a plume of steam to rise. Holly looked frustrated, making the situation all the more humorous.
Gail pulled the flustered woman into her arms and distracted her with a long kiss. When she pulled back, Holly was looking back at her with an expression mixed with love and defeat.
"It's just a pancake, we can make more," Gail soothed as she rubbed Holly's back.
"I wanted to make you the perfect breakfast," Holly pouted.
"As long as I get to have breakfast with you, it's perfect." Gail leaned in for a soft kiss that quickly deepened.
Holly forgot about the ruined food almost instantly. Breakfast was abandoned all together as Gail led Holly backwards towards the couch and the two reenacted the previous night's activities.
